T-9 days until Thanksgiving! Yay! Why not celebrate with a tasty “sure-to-be-on-everyone’s-table” recipe? A side dish with an identity complex, one of those “soda vs. pop” items: sourdough stuffing bursting with apples, caramelized onions, parsley, sage, (no rosemary), and thyme.

I don’t know about you, but for me I think stuffing is the one item on the Thanksgiving menu that tastes great 2 days before the day after tomorrow (aka today) :), tomorrow, and the day after that. Turkey can get dry, mashed potatoes aren’t the same microwaved, and green beans get soggy, but not stuffing! Stuffing takes on an even more delicious quality the longer it marinates.

I know you’ll look at this laundry list of ingredients and possibly even think “Is that too much?” but the answer is “No way.” Do not skip any of the items because as always it’s the beautiful symphony of all the ingredients that really makes this dish.

Sourdough Stuffing

Yields: 1 9×13 inch baking dish

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb. sourdough bread cubed

½ Cup Unsalted Butter

3 Small (or 2 large) Granny Smith Apples peeled, cored, and diced

3-4 Stalks Celery halved lengthwise then diced

1 Medium Sweet Onion halved then thinly sliced

¼ tsp Organic Granulated Sugar

Approximately 10 sprigs of fresh Thyme (strip leaves from steams)

Approximately 10 fresh Sage leaves chopped

3 1/1 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Stock (Even more flavorful than broth)

3 Tb Italian Parsley leaves chopped

Salt & Pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare a 9×12 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray

Cut bread into cubes then spread evenly on 2 baking sheets. Cover lightly with olive oil and bake until slightly toasted. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large sauce pan and add onions, sugar, and a few pinches of salt and pepper and sauté until caramelized (about 8 minutes.)

Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the onions and then add celery, apples, and thyme. Stir occasionaly and cook until vegetables soften.

Add sage and the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the sauce pan then add chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Allow to simmer on low heat for about 10-12 minutes.

Pour the contents of the sauté pan over the breadcrumbs in the large mixing bowl and toss to allow even distribution.

8. Pour stuffing into prepared baking dish, sprinkle 1 ½ tablespoons of parsley (reserve other 1 ½ tablespoons for dish once done cooking) and bake for about 40 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Allow stuffing to cool for 15 minutes before serving and sprinkle the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of parsley on top to garnish.